Digimon D-Tamer: A Network of Shadows
by TheAmazingOREOman
Summary: Long awaited sequel to "Digimon D-Tamer!" Two-and-a-half years after the death of Ogudamon, the remnant of the Nightmare Soldiers rally together under the command of a mysterious human known only as the "Mikado." A legendary hero must train three unlikely children to become Digimon Tamers to protect the Digital Network from destruction.


_The Digital Network! It has spread throughout the entire world. It has become a parallel world! _

_A total of two-and-a-half years have passed since Ogudamon's death at the hands of the defenders of the Digital World. It was then that both the Human and Digital World fell under an era of peace. A new battle for a new generation of heroes is about to begin…_

"_Critical Arm!_"

Explosions devastated the entire area. The vast plain of the Gear Savannah was shaking and quaking. Digimon all over the island were scattering about in desperate attempts to flee from danger. A lone figure dashed through the chaos. The racing Digimon was seven-feet tall and resembled a human in a suit of armor. A red muffler flew behind him as he continued on his journey.

"This is Justimon," the Digimon said, holding his right arm up to his face. On his wrist was a small watch-resembling device, bearing a rectangular screen and three buttons along the right side.

"Relay your situation, Justimon." A voice called out from Justimon's wrist.

**JUSTIMON – ULTIMATE LEVEL – CYBORG TYPE – VACCINE ATTRIBUTE**

"I've engaged the enemy," Justimon reported as he continued to run. "I am in possession of the Digimental and I'm heading back to the access point." Justimon looked in his left hand and acknowledged a strange-looking pendant in it. It was silver and shaped like an oval with a red sphere in the center. A chain was attached to the top of the Digimental.

"Protect that Digimental at all costs." The voice commanded. "That Digimental could prove essential to discover what this new enemy is planning."

"Easier said than done…" Justimon sighed. Despite the seriousness of the situation he was in, a sentimental feeling came over the Hero of Justice. It was good to be back. He saw that he was approaching an open field. "Good. I can make the jump back here." He came to a screeching halt when a group of Digimon blocked his path. There were three of them, all standing at the same height as Justimon. Each of them held a staff that had a large gun barrel on one side and a crescent-shaped blade on the opposite side.

**SAGOMON – PERFECT LEVEL – DEMON MAN TYPE – VIRUS ATTRIBUTE**

"Those who don't follow the Mikado's orders shall perish!" One of the Sagomon yelled.

"_Kouyouhoujou: Taki no Jin!_"

The three Sagomon slammed their staffs into the ground and created a deep crevice. Up from the crevice came a powerful torrent of water.

"Heads up!" Justimon shouted. He ran towards the encroaching stream of water and at the last second before they collided, he took a large step and leapt into the air. After performing several flips in the sky, Justimon landed on his feet and looked back at his oppressors.

"_Marut Cyclone!_"

A powerful tornado swept in front of Justimon and two crimson blades appeared from within, repeatedly striking the Cyborg Digimon and knocking him onto the ground. Justimon looked to see the source of the attack, an emerald-armored Digimon equipped with two large blades for arms.

**FUJINMON – ULTIMATE LEVEL – CYBORG TYPE – VACCINE ATTRIBUTE**

"I believe you have something that belongs to my master." Fujinmon said, his voice showing absolutely no emotion. "I have come to collect."

"Looks like I'll have to go all out for this one!" Justimon said. He stood up and pulled out a familiar blue and white device with a navy strap attached to it.

"D-Digivice…?" One of the Sagomon gasped.

"Blast Mode, activate!" Justimon called. The brief flash of light that emanated from the Digivice wrapped itself around Justimon's body. When the light faded, his body had gone through several changes. A metallic silver vest was latched on his chest with "ZERO-ARMS Blast" written in DigiCode, the red muffler around his neck vanishing, and a shotgun-like weapon in his arms. Justimon had ascended into his Blast Mode.

**JUSTIMON (**_**BLAST MODE**_**) – ULTIMATE LEVEL – CYBORG TYPE – VACCINE ATTRIBUTE**

"Now say hello to my little friend!" Justimon shouted, pointing his new weapon at the three Sagomon, whose facial expressions shifted to that of anxiety.

"_Justice Revolver!_"

A ball of energy was launched from the Justice Revolver and it collided with the three Sagomon, instantly deleting them in a powerful explosion. As the explosion died down, Justimon's gaze shifted to Fujinmon.

"You're next…" the hero of justice said.

"You fool!" the same voice from before came from Justimon's wrist, and Justimon looked down towards it. "Stop wasting time and get back to Kyushu-03!"

"Distraction noted, commencing attack." Fujinmon said, and the blades on his arms began to shine a bright crimson color.

"What?!" Justimon gasped.

"_Critical Arm: Voltage Blade!_"

Fujinmon took the opportunity to strike. With a mighty heave, he swung both of his blades and the impact of the attack struck Justimon in the chest. Electricity began sparking out of his body and Justimon began crying out in pain. Fujinmon watched as his body was overtaken by a golden light and began to slightly shrink. The light dimmed and in Justimon's place were two creatures. One was a small Digimon resembling a dragon with bat-like wings attached to its arms. Its plum scales, silver claws, and golden markings decorated its body.

**MONODRAMON – CHILD LEVEL – MINI DRAGON TYPE – VACCINE ATTRIBUTE**

The second creature was actually a human, a tall one with spiky brown hair and tan skin. He wore a plain black T-shirt and jeans, in addition to black sneakers, a mechanical gauntlet on his left arm, and a golden cape draped around him.

"R-Ryo, are you alright?" Monodramon asked the boy lying beside him. The boy, Ryo, struggled to pick himself up. He glanced over his body.

"Looks like the evolution failed." Ryo said. He and Monodramon turned around to see Fujinmon still hovering over them.

"Akiyama Ryo and Monodramon, do you surrender?" his robotic voice clicked. Ryo looked in his left hand and was relieved to see the Digimental was still there. He unclipped his Digivice and stared at it in hopes of figuring out a plan to escape. Monodramon tensed.

"Ryo, go." He growled. "I'll hold him off." Ryo gasped.

"Are you crazy?" he shot back. "He's an Ultimate Digimon. You can't evolve without me, anyways!"

"Just go!" Monodramon roared. "It's my duty to protect you!" Ryo looked at Monodramon's eyes. They were unwavering with courage and determination. He knew what he had to do.

"Good luck…" With that, Ryo took off towards the open field and Monodramon shot in the air towards Fujinmon.

"_Beat Knuckle!_"

Monodramon's fist rammed into Fujinmon's armor. However, the Cyborg Digimon stood still. He took the full-impact of the attack and not a scratch was left.

"Target: Akiyama Ryo is escaping utilizing diversionary tactics." Fujinmon hummed. "Prepare for deletion." He flew right past Monodramon and pursued Ryo.

"I could do without this entire day altogether…" Ryo muttered to himself. Taking out his Digivice, he pointed out to the area in front of him. Unbeknownst to him, electricity was charging in Fujinmon's body. He was preparing to launch an attack.

"DigiPort, open!"

"_Data Crusher!_"

A stream of black data in the shape of an arrow blasted off from Fujinmon's chest. As Ryo was opening the DigiPort, his Digivice was hit with the dark arrow. Ryo cried out in pain as a swirling vortex began to materialize in front of him.

"GO!" Monodramon's voice echoed. With great hesitation, Ryo leapt inside the portal and it immediately vanished. Fujinmon stopped in its tracks.

"Target: Akiyama Ryo has escaped into another dimension." He sparked. "The Mikado must be alerted." Fujinmon vanished in a flash of light, leaving Monodramon alone. The only thought that could come to mind was that of his Tamer's safety. He could feel that something was not right and that something big was about to begin.

**Digimon D-Tamer**

**A NETWORK OF SHADOWS**

**D-1: **

**The Heir of Adventure!**

"So this is Meitoku Gijuku High School…"

A young teen was standing in front of a large school complex with many buildings. He wore an orange jacket with black knickerbockers and tennis shoes to match. His dusky hair was being covered by the orange hat perched on his head, only a spike coming out from the front; accompanied by a tan pair of goggles. With him were a few bags of luggage sitting at his feet and a backpack around his back. Loads of kids were being dropped off by their parents, all with luggage to carry as well. He gulped as a man walked up to him, dressed in a formal suit and holding a clipboard.

"Name." he said.

"T-Takeshi," the boy said. "Isamu Takeshi." The man smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Isamu Takeshi." He said. "I'm Akaza Houji, the principal here." Mr. Akaza looked over the clipboard and grinned. "Ah, room D-1. That's inside on the second floor."

_No, it's outside on the second floor…_ Takeshi said to himself sarcastically, grinning in the process.

"You'd better hurry in and get situated." The principal walked off, leaving Takeshi alone. Shrugging, he picked up his luggage and walked in the building. Inside, he saw a bunch of children standing in line at the front desk, all carrying luggage as well. Takeshi assumed they were new students as well and joined them in line. He saw that in front of him was about the same height he was. His long crimson hair ran down to his shoulders and he wore a black button-up shirt, the collar popped out; with some jeans.

"Is this the orientation tour?" Takeshi asked him. The boy turned around and got a good look at him. Instead of answering, he turned back around. "Hey! What was that for?!" Takeshi shut up when he saw a woman come up to the group of children, looking similarly as formal as the principal.

"Welcome to Meitoku Gijuku High School." She said. Takeshi noticed on her blue blazer there was a nametag that had "Kanmoto Koume" engraved on it. "I can see from the look in your eyes how excited you are. I know that for some of you, this will be your first night away from home. Some of you might be a little scared. You have nothing to be afraid of. This is the safest place on earth. Your kingdom. You'll get to see your families on weekends, and in a couple of weeks you'll be fully integrated into this new lifestyle of yours. Shall we begin the tour?"

xXx

"Human…human…hey human boy, wake up!"

Ryo's eyes slowly jittered opened. Above him was a clear blue sky, free of any clouds. He helped himself up and leaned forward, trying to make heads or tails of what exactly happened. He remembered snatching the Digimental and being pursued by the Nightmare Soldier clones. After he and Monodramon separated, he was- 

"Monodramon!" Ryo shouted. He looked at the Digivice around his wrist and pressed a button on it. The screen read "EMPTY," no matter how many times Ryo pressed it. Then at last, he remembered: Monodramon sacrificed himself so Ryo could escape and return to the Real World. The only problem was, as Ryo examined his surroundings, it didn't look like he was back in Kyushu. The area around him was covered in unusual palm trees and strange, yet familiar creatures roamed about around him. He was still in the Digital World alright, but something was different. It didn't have the same feeling as the Digital World he had grown accustomed to during his adventures with Monodramon. It didn't seem like the _other_ Digital World he was called to either. "Where am I?"

"Hello?!" Ryo looked down to see a small monster looking up to him. He was covered in rough, white fur with a crimson manteau draped over the rest of his body. "Remember me, the one who woke you up?"

"Oh sorry about that," Ryo laughed. "My name's Ryo. Who are you?"

"I'm Hackmon." The Digimon said. "What's a human boy like you doing falling out of the sky like that?"

"Falling out of the sky?" Ryo repeated, looking up into the sky once again. "I'm in the Digital World, right?"

"Well, duh!" Hackmon laughed. Ryo pulled out his Digivice and saw sparks flying from it.

"Huh?" Ryo gasped. An image of Hackmon flashed onscreen and his data appeared.

**HACKMON – CHILD LEVEL –MINI DRAGON TYPE – DATA ATTRIBUTE**

"Hmm…DigiPort, open!" Ryo held out his Digivice to open a gate, but nothing happened. He looked at his Digivice and tried it again, but to no avail. "What's going on?"

"Tamer problems…" Hackmon sighed. He then got an idea. "Hey! Wait a minute! I must be your Partner Digimon!" Ryo shot Hackmon a look of confusion.

"Partner Digimon?" Ryo said. "What are you talking about?"

"Every Digimon Tamer has a partner, right?" Hackmon smiled. "I don't see one here, so I must be yours!" While Hackmon hopped for joy, Ryo sighed and looked at his Digivice.

"Well," he said, and Hackmon stopped. The look on his face troubled him. "Actually I do have a partner. He's just not here now. He's back in my dimension's Digital World."

"Dimension?" Hackmon asked. His "Well then, why are you here?"

"I-I don't know." Ryo said. "I can't even open a gate out of here. Hmmn…" Ryo pressed a button on his Digivice, yet nothing happened. "DigiHUD isn't responding either." A terrifying roar pierced through their ears. "What was that?!"

"RUUUUNNNN!" Ryo and Hackmon turned around to see a flock of Hawkmon and Falcomon flying towards them, led by a Biyomon.

**BIYOMON – CHILD LEVEL – BIRD TYPE – VACCINE ATTRIBUTE**

**HAWKMON – CHILD LEVEL – BIRD TYPE – FREE ATTRIBUTE**

**FALCOMON – CHILD LEVEL – BIRD TYPE – DATA ATTRIBUTE**

"What's going on?!" Ryo asked.

"It's Greymon!" The Biyomon leader shrieked. As they flew past the two, they looked up to see a large blue dinosaur decked in orange stripes raging above them, knocking down trees with each step that he took.

**GREYMON – NO LEVEL – DINOSAUR TYPE – VIRUS ATTRIBUTE**

"That Greymon is different than ones I've seen before," Ryo said. "If only Monodramon was here…" Hackmon hopped in front of Ryo and glared at the opposing Digimon.

"Ryo, don't worry about a thing!" he called. "I'll defeat him!"

"You're crazy!" Ryo called back. "If he's like the Greymon I've seen, he's a whole level ahead of you! Survey says you can't win!"

_There's something about this guy…_ Hackmon thought. _At first I thought I was his partner, but it's something else…_

"_Blaster Tail!_"

"Look out!" Hackmon called, knocking Ryo to the ground with him as Greymon's armored tail swept over them. "That was close."

"Hackmon, we have to get out of here!" Ryo shouted, standing up. Crimson flames began to form in Greymon's mouth. Ryo and Hackmon took off running, soon followed by a torrent of flames. As the two ran, with Greymon hot on their tail, Ryo noticed a cave in the clearing. Labeling that as his target, the two dashed towards it and slid inside.

"That was close…that was the Mega Flame!" Hackmon said. Thundering booms were heard outside of the cave. Ryo could tell that Greymon was still in the area searching for its prey. They were safe for the moment. He let out a breath of relief and shifted his gaze towards Hackmon.

"Where is this place?" he asked the Digimon.

"They call this place the Forest of the Gods." Hackmon replied. "They say the God of the Digital World created this place first and bestowed upon it the ability to make miracles into reality. That much I haven't seen."

"You don't say…" Ryo said, looking out of the cave entrance into the forest. It looked like any other forest he has been in. Even the fact that a Digimon was rampaging through it was utterly normal. "We're gonna need help on this one, Hackmon."

"Don't worry!" Hackmon chirped. "You might not be my Tamer, but my true Tamer will come! I've been waiting for him forever! He will come!" Ryo smiled at him and turned to face the exit. A worried expression fell on Hackmon's face and he closed his eyes. _Please, Tamer…come!_

xXx

After the tour was finished, the students were all escorted to their dorm rooms. Takeshi stood in front of a door labeled "D-1" with all his belongings and bags. For him, the tour took too long and he was already sleepy. Classes didn't start for two more days so he definitely had time to relax and get settled in. It would start by him opening the door.

"Well, here we go." Takeshi sighed. Grasping the doorknob, he twisted it and swung the door open. The room was bigger than his room back home. There was a bunk bed on one side and a single bed on the other, a pair of desks below the window, layers of cabinets, and two bulletin boards on the walls. There already was a laptop placed on one of the desks below the window. Takeshi's eyes fell on the single bed, bearing nothing but a blanket wrapped over it. "Looks like I lucked out, I get the single bed!"

"Yeah, right…" a voice scoffed from behind him. A number of bags blew past Takeshi's head and landed on the single bed. Takeshi whipped around to see the same crimson haired boy who ignored him before. "Looks like I got it first."

"Hey! It's YOU!" Takeshi roared. "I have a score to settle with you!" Takeshi ran up to the boy with his fist blazing, but the boy caught it with ease. Takeshi gasped.

"Calm down," the boy said. Takeshi's fierce expression remained on his face. "Sainei Kaicu. And you are?" Takeshi was taken aback by Kaicu's sudden change of behavior.

"I-Isamu Takeshi." He stuttered. Takeshi focused on the boy still holding his fist in the air. There was something about him…something that gave him an ominous feeling.

"Uhhh…am I in the wrong room?" Both Takeshi and Kaicu turned around to see a girl standing at the door of their room. Chocolate brown hair ran down past her shoulders. She was wearing a pink shirt with the word "GRACE" in a darker shade of pink surrounded by a heart, along with short jean shorts and sandals on her feet. Takeshi's jaw dropped as he continued to stare at this mystery girl. Kaicu saw this and simply scoffed.

"Y-Yeah," Takeshi tried pulling himself together. He shook his fist away from Kaicu, forcing him to release his fist, and leaned up against the wall. "Y-You can stay if you want…" The girl chuckled.

"That's sweet," she said. "I'm Amy, nice to meet you both." A stray buzz noise alerted Takeshi to his pocket. He pulled out a black smartphone and he noticed the screen was glowing. He received a text message.

"What the?" Takeshi pressed a button on his phone and the message opened up. It read:

_The game is about to begin._

_Are you willing to play?_

Takeshi didn't know what was going on. There seemed to be no contact numbers for whoever was texting him. He figured someone was just messing with him and considered simply ignoring the text and going on with his life…but then it hit him: it couldn't hurt to play along for a bit. Plus, it might be fun.

"Yes…" Takeshi typed. As soon as he hit the send button, a new message appeared in its place:

_Hold up your cell phone to the monitor of the computer._

Takeshi looked towards the window and gazed at the laptop. So many questions attempted to penetrate his mind, such as who was this, how did whoever this was know about the computer in the room, or was someone spying on him? Before such thoughts entered his head, Takeshi just shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the laptop, much to Kaicu and Amy's confusion.

"What are you doing with my laptop?" Kaicu snapped. Takeshi paused as he stood right in front of the computer and extended his cell phone-bearing hand.

"What's going on?" Amy asked. Almost instantaneously, a blinding light began to erupt from the previously dormant laptop. Takeshi, Kaicu, and Amy attempted to shield their eyes from the encroaching light, but something strange began to happen. All three of them suddenly began to feel the light pulling them in, drawing them within the laptop.

xXx

"W-Where am I?"

Takeshi's eyes fluttered open to the sound that he recognized as Kaicu's voice. Up above him was the sky and a great amount of trees. He turned to see Kaicu facing the other direction and Amy lying down next to him, still unconscious.

"Hey, Amy…" Takeshi said, gentling shaking Amy's body. "Amy, wake up!" Amy slowly turned around and her eyes flapped open. She looked at Takeshi towering over him and he smiled. "Are you okay?"

"GET AWAY!" Amy shrieked, shoving Takeshi to the ground.

"Ow!" Takeshi cried, brushing dust off his clothes. "What the heck was that for?!"

"It is your fault that we're in this strange place," Kaicu said without turning around.

"What'd you say?!" Takeshi growled.

"Why on Earth did you do what that freaky text message said?!" Amy said. Takeshi was dumbstruck.

"It's funny you say that, girl." Kaicu said. Both Takeshi and Amy look at him, who finally turned around to face them. "I don't think we're even on Earth anymore."

"Who are you calling 'girl?!'" Amy shouted. "My name is Amy Hedgren! Get it right! And another thing…" While Amy continued shouting, Takeshi looked around. It looked like they were in a forest of some kind. But if they weren't on Earth anymore, where exactly were they?

"Hey, look!" Takeshi shouted. Kaicu and Amy turned in the direction Takeshi was pointing and saw a number of strange flower-resembling creatures running around past them.

**TANEMON – BABY II LEVEL – BULB TYPE – DATA ATTRIBUTE**

"What are those things?" Kaicu said.

"THEY'RE SOOO CUUUTEEE!" Amy shouted. She immediately took off towards them and grabbed one of them. "I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE!"

"Is this really the beautiful girl I met earlier today?" Takeshi sweatdropped.

"L-Let go!" the Tanemon shouted. She turned to face Amy and opened her mouth.

"_Bubble Blow!_"

A barrage of bubbles fired out of Tanemon's mouth and hit Amy in the face. As Amy cried out in pain, the Tanemon hurriedly ran off. Takeshi couldn't help but snicker. This, however, proved to be a mistake.

"What's so funny?!" Amy growled. Takeshi gulped.

"Chill out." Kaicu sighed. "There are probably more talking monsters around this place. There might be some dangerous ones, we should find somewhere safe." Kaicu began walking in one direction. Takeshi and Amy exchanged glances with each other and followed him. The forest was deep and wherever they looked, there seemed to be more and more different kinds of monsters. There were monsters that looked like trees, little pink birds, and even small insects.

"What is this place?" Amy asked.

"I dunno but it feels like we're adventurers." Takeshi smiled. "Ya know, exploring what no one has ever seen before?"

"Oh, like Indiana Jones?" Amy said.

"Indiana who?" Amy laughed.

"Back in America, he's an explorer who gets into all kinds of trouble and adventures." She said.

"You're from America?" Takeshi asked. Amy nodded. "Then why are you going to school all the way in Japan?"

"My parents want me to have the experience of studying abroad." Amy said. "It's normally only for college students but I suppose anything is possible if you have the grades I do!"

"You guys talk too much." Kaicu scoffed. The three looked ahead to see a nearby cave in the distance amongst the forest. There seemed to be a light coming from the cavern. "Hey, check it out."

"Yeah, it looks like that cave is glowing." Takeshi said. "Let's go check it out."

"Hey, wait a minute." Amy said, Takeshi and Kaicu stopping in their tracks to face her. "Shouldn't we be running away from spooky things like a glowing cave?"

"Whoever stops here is a fool." Kaicu said and ran off towards the cave. Amy growled.

"Come on, let's just go check it out for a little bit." Takeshi said. "What's the worst that could happen?" Suddenly, a powerful roar erupted through the ears of the three teenagers, Takeshi and Amy instantly plugged their ears and Kaicu stopped dead in his tracks.

"What the heck is that?!" Amy shrieked.

"Yo!" Kaicu shouted, looking above Takeshi and Amy while pointing to the sky above them. "50 foot Godzilla wannabe right above you!" Takeshi and Amy turned around to see the menacing Greymon tower above them.

"RUUUUNNNN!" Amy shouted. The three of them immediately took off with Greymon in hot pursuit of them. Kaicu led the two into the cave and Greymon crashed his head right into the cave, causing tremors inside.

"Pretty soon, it won't be safe here…" Kaicu said. "We need to think of some sort of a plan." While Amy nodded, Takeshi's mind was elsewhere. Without a word, he started walking deeper within the cave. "Where the hell are you going?!"

"That's exactly what I'm going to figure out." Takeshi said. "Come on, this path leads to somewhere!" He took off once again, leaving Kaicu and Amy.

"A bit reckless, don't you think?" Amy asked Kaicu. He simply ignored her and continued to follow the path. "How rude! Why couldn't I have been stuck with anyone else on this road to nowhere?"

xXx

Ryo and Hackmon were still in the grotto within the cave buying their time. While Hackmon's battle instincts were kicking in and he was itching to fight that overgrown lizard that was tormenting them, Ryo had other ideas.

"Come on, Ryo!" Hackmon yelled. "Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!"

"Relax, save your energy." Ryo reassured. "Like I said before, you won't stand a chance against him the way things are now. If only you could digivolve." Ryo pulled out his broken Digivice. "I've had bad luck with digivolving other people's partner Digimon in the past, so I can't help you do it."

"That's okay." Hackmon sighed. "My Tamer is coming, I can feel it!" Ryo let out a sigh and sat down next to the Child Digimon.

"Tell me about your Tamer." He said. "What's he like?" Hackmon looked down.

"Well to be honest, I haven't exactly met him yet."

"Huh? Then how do you know he's coming today?"

"A Digimon just knows…" A smile appeared on Hackmon's face. Ryo couldn't help but smile at this little Digimon's determination. His smile, however, was broken when a noise distracted him. It sounded like footsteps. Someone was coming. "H-He's here! My partner's he-" Before Hackmon could finish, Ryo grabbed him and held him up against the wall to the side of the tunnel entrance so whoever was coming could not see them. The footsteps became louder and louder as Ryo's grip over Hackmon's mouth became tighter and tighter.

"Guys, hurry up!" a male voice called. "I already reached the light at the end of the tunnel." Ryo remained silent. As a boy walked into the clearing, something tingled within Hackmon. Something familiar. Unable to contain his feelings, Hackmon bit Ryo's arm and leapt out of his grip towards the human.

"You're here, you're here!" Hackmon shouted. Takeshi spun around just in time to see the little Digimon tackle him to the ground.

"What? Another human?" Ryo gasped at the sight of Hackmon hopping up and down on this strange boy.

"Whoa!" Takeshi yelled. "What's going on?! Who are you guys?!"

"You're my partner! My partner! You're finally here!" Hackmon jumped for joy.

"Takeshi, are you okay?" Ryo's eyes averted to the tunnel entrance where two more humans, Kaicu and Amy, entered. Both their gazes went from Hackmon to Ryo.

"Who are you?" Kaicu asked.

"I could ask you three the same question." Ryo said. "Are you this dimension's Digidestined?"

"Digidestined?" Amy repeated. "What's a Digidestined?" Ryo stood there confused for a moment but then snapped his fingers in realization.

"Oh, I get it." He said. "You guys are Tamers."

"Like a lion tamer?" Kaicu asked. Ryo face vaulted.

"NO!" Ryo shouted after getting back up, his head inflating to a rather large size. He let out a sigh and his head size returned to normal. "So, how'd you guys end up here?"

"Well, Takeshi here got a text message telling him to hold up his phone to a computer and when he did, we were all sucked inside." Amy explained. She shot Takeshi a look. "Show him your phone."

"Right." Takeshi said, digging into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Kaicu, Amy, and Ryo gasped as the phone began to shine. "What's going on?" The phone became a ball of light and flew towards Takeshi. He caught it in his hands while the light faded. His cell phone became a crimson red device with a 9 cm LCD screen in the center with a button below.

"A Digivice!" Ryo shouted. Takeshi examined the device and saw a golden D on the back of it.

"Really? Looks like an iPhone to me..." Takeshi said. "Well, at least now I don't have to get one for Christmas."

"That means you are my Tamer!" Hackmon cheered. Takeshi sweatdropped.

"Uhm, I don't know about all that…" Takeshi was interrupted by what sounded like earthquakes to Takeshi, Kaicu, and Amy, but Ryo and Hackmon knew better.

"Greymon's still out there, eh?" Ryo said, putting his hand on his chin in a thinking pose.

"Greymon?" Kaicu said. "Alright, spill it. We need answers and you seem to have 'em. Where are we? What are all these strange creatures?"

"And what in the world are you?" Takeshi asked, looking at Hackmon.

"My name's Hackmon." Hackmon said, finally ceasing his leaping. "I'm a Digimon, short for Digital Monster. We're in the Digital World!"

"The Digital World?" Takeshi gasped.

"Yeah, that's right." Ryo said. "The Digital World is filled with different kinds of creatures, some as small as Hackmon here and some as large as that Greymon outside, and then some."

"That's all well and good and all, but how do we go home?" Amy asked. "Ya know, to the world with all the human beings?"

"Now that you mention it," Ryo said, taking out his Digivice. "I broke my Digivice coming to this dimension. Until I fix it, I'm not really sure how I can get home, let alone you guys." Tremors interrupted the conversation as rubble began to fall from the cave walls and ceiling.

"What now?!" Takeshi said, finally getting up off the ground and holding Hackmon in his arms.

"Earthquake!" Amy screeched.

"No, it's that lizard thing again!" Kaicu said. "Greymon!"

_If only Monodramon was here_… Ryo gritted his teeth. _What am I supposed to do now?!_ Hackmon looked back up to Takeshi and then proceeded to hop out of his arms.

"I'm going to protect you, Tamer!" he shouted and with that, he proceeded to hop down the tunnel.

"Hey, wait up!" Takeshi shouted, and he immediately ran after him without any hesitation.

"Takeshi , where are you going?!" Amy called.

"He obviously went to chase after that hairball thing." Kaicu said.

_Maybe that kid really IS Hackmon's partner…_ Ryo said to himself. "Come on, guys! Let's go after them!"

xXx

Outside of the cave, Greymon was roaming around and he kept slamming his tail into the outer cavern walls. He watched as more and more rubble piled down onto the ground. Pretty soon, Takeshi and Hackmon dashed out of the cave and into the clearing, looking right into the eyes of an angry Greymon.

"Suddenly, this doesn't seem like such a hot idea…" Takeshi sighed.

"Stand back, I'll show you what I can do!" Hackmon said, and he leapt in the air and in front of Takeshi. "Hackmon digivolve to…" After pausing in mid-air for a few moments with a confident look on his face, Hackmon fell to the ground, still in the same form he was in moments ago.

"You okay, little guy?" Takeshi asked, running towards his new friend.

"I don't get it…" Hackmon said, slowly standing up. "When a Digimon finds his Tamer, he's supposed to digivolve!"

_Digivolve…_ Takeshi said to himself in his head.

"TAKESHI! HACKMON!" Ryo's voice called out. Takeshi awakened from his thoughts to see flames spewing within Greymon's mouth

"Look out!" Takeshi roared. As Greymon launched the wave of flames towards them, Takeshi grabbed Hackmon and rolled out of the way. Ryo, Kaicu, and Amy remained in the cave to shield themselves from the intensity of the fire.

"We have to help them somehow!" Amy shouted.

"How exactly?" Kaicu asked. "We're sitting ducks here." Ryo poked his head outside of the cave and towards Takeshi and Hackmon, who were recovering from their near-death experience.

_If those two are really partners…_ he thought. _They're our only hope of getting out of this…_

"You idiot…" Takeshi said, holding Hackmon in his arms as they hid behind a tree. "What was that?"

"A Digimon's duty is to protect his Tamer." Hackmon recited. "I was trying to protect you." A large roar and booming footsteps interrupted both of them.

"Good job." Takeshi said sarcastically. Hackmon leapt out of Takeshi's arms and landed in front of him. He then turned around to face the human.

"Takeshi, we have to share our energy if we're going to get through this." Hackmon said. "Only with your help can I digivolve. We're a team! Together, we can do anything. I need your help so I can help you!" Takeshi looked into the little creature's eyes. He felt something; it was hot and at the same time soothing. It was Hackmon's burning ambition.

"_Blaster Tail!_"

Both Takeshi and Hackmon leapt out of the way as the tree they were hiding behind was destroyed, crushed by Greymon's armed tail. The two crashed onto the ground and watched as Greymon towered over them. Takeshi glanced over at Hackmon, who was growling at the giant dinosaur with a menacing look on his face. Takeshi's eyes began to burn with that same ambition he saw in his partner and he stood up.

_Courage gives you wings to fly…_

"Alright, that's it." He said, throwing his fist into the air. "I'm done hiding and running away. My partner and I are going to take you down!" Unbeknownst to Takeshi, the Digivice in his hand began to shine as an image of a green bar filing up to the top was shown on the screen. The silhouette of a dragon head emerged from Takeshi's fist, which began to catch on fire.

"I can feel it…" Hackmon said. He jumped into the air towards Greymon and felt his body begin to grow as he was encased in a blue orb of light.

**BLAST DIGIVOLUTION**

"_**Hackmon blast digivolve to…**_**"**

"…_**Dorugamon!**_**" **

Takeshi stared in awe as the shining blue orb shattered, revealing Hackmon's new form. He was a lot bigger, close to the same size as Greymon, and was an azure bipedal beast with large wings protruding from his back. A red symbol was on his brow and he let out a powerful roar. Takeshi's Digivice suddenly began to glow and out popped a picture of the creature Hackmon had become, along with some text under the image.

**DORUGAMON – ADULT LEVEL – DRAGON BEAST TYPE – DATA ATTRIBUTE**

"Whoa, baby…" Takeshi stared. Dorugamon rammed his body into Greymon, knocking him down on his back. Kaicu, Amy, and Ryo were amazed at Hackmon's hidden power.

"Cool!" Amy said.

"He can Blast Digivolve…" Ryo said. "…but how?"

"_Mega Flame!_"

On his back, Greymon launched a stream of crimson fire at Dorugamon, who was able to elegantly soar in the sky and dodge the attack with ease.

"He's so cool!" Takeshi cheered. "Go get him, Dorugamon!"

"_Cannonball!_"

As the newly evolved Digimon flew towards Greymon, he opened his mouth. While he charged, a large iron sphere blasted out of his mouth and crashed into Greymon's chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Nice move…" Kaicu said. Greymon slowly began to stand up. Flying at such a high speed, Dorugamon slammed right into Greymon and continued to knock him down.

"Come on, is that all you got?" Dorugamon taunted. "That's what you get for messing with my Tamer!"

"Tamer…" Takeshi said, continuing to watch Greymon launch streams of fire into the air, only to be dodged by Dorugamon's agility. "If I'm his Tamer, I have to help him…finish him off, partner!" Upon hearing those words, a large grin appeared on Dorugamon's face.

"Right!" Dorugamon roared. He stopped in front of Greymon, who by now was looking very exhausted. Dorugamon opened his mouth and energy began to gather inside.

"_Power Metal!_"

An iron sphere larger than life erupted from his mouth and blasted Greymon square in the face. The dinosaur Digimon roared in pain as his body began to dissolve into data particles.

"He did it!" Amy cheered.

"Nice…" Kaicu admitted. Ryo watched as the data particles that came from Greymon's destroyed body reformed into a purple and orange-striped Digi-egg.

_I don't get it…_ the veteran tamer thought to himself as Dorugamon started to glow and shrink back into Hackmon. _Dorugamon evolves from Dorumon…who is this Digimon?_

"We did it!" Hackmon shouted.

"Hackmon, you were awesome!" Takeshi said. "Flying around and blasting that guy with balls, it was so cool!"

"Calm down." Kaicu simply said, his mood not wavering a single bit.

"That's all well and good, but how are we supposed to get home?" Amy asked Ryo, instantly snapping him out of his thoughts.

_Home…_ Takeshi thought to himself.

"Go home?!" Hackmon snapped. "You guys just got here!" He looked up at Takeshi. "Come on, Takeshi! Follow me…our adventure is just beginning!" Hackmon then took off running, his cape flowing in the wind.

"Hey, wait up!" Takeshi shouted, taking off after him. Amy tried to stop him, but the two were already off.

"How reckless." Amy said, turning to both Ryo and Kaicu. "We don't even know anything about this place. There could be more dangerous monsters out there!"

"Oh, he knows that." Ryo said. He couldn't help but smile. Kaicu nodded. They continued to watch Takeshi catch up to Hackmon and the two continued running side-by-side. "See those goggles on his head? The different people I've met who have also worn goggles possessed fiery spirits and unwavering courage."

"Unwavering courage…" Kaicu said. As he was running, Takeshi tripped over a rock and fell on top of his new partner Digimon, causing them to tumble onto the ground. Large sweat-drops went down the back of Ryo-tachi's heads.

"Oh boy…"

01010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101 01010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101 01010101010101010101010101010101  
01010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101 0101010101010101

"Mikado-sama…"

Darkness covered the entirety of what appeared to be a large room. It was akin to a laboratory in a factory, complete with test tubes, large pods, computers, and the like. Large pillars were erect all around the dark-colored room. Fujinmon stood before a figure covered in darkness. Silence filled the room.

"Lord Fujinmon," a distorted voice came from the figure standing in front of the Cyborg Digimon. "What is the status on the Akiyama Ryo initiative?"

"He managed to escape to another reality's Digital World, sir." Fujinmon said. "The Digimental is still with him."

"This news is most disappointing for a Digimon of your caliber, Fujinmon." Another voice spoke. Fujinmon turned to see two other Cyborg Digimon approaching him. The first was covered in golden armor with four cannons where his shoulders would ordinarily be and two large silver cybernetic fists. The second was a bipedal machine decked in crimson armor. It also possessed two silver arms and two silver cannons on its shoulders. Its razor-sharp tail swung as he approached.

"Raijinmon and Suijinmon, welcome." The Mikado said.

**RAIJINMON – ULTIMATE LEVEL – CYBORG TYPE – VIRUS ATTRIBUTE**

**SUIJINMON – ULTIMATE LEVEL – MACHINE TYPE – DATA ATTRIBUTE**

"We would have thought that one member of the Megadeth Trio would have been enough to capture a mere child and his monster." Suijinmon said.

"We all know that he is not an ordinary child." Fujinmon said. "If that were so, would our bodies have been re-digitized to combat his Ultimate form?"

"This is true." Raijimon said. "Any news on his whereabouts?"

"After he escaped, I used the matrix data collected from the battle and sent troops to different digital plains in search of him." Fujinmon explained. "I do believe I have found him. The Greymon I sent to DW-07 has been deleted after only a short amount of time."

"This proves nothing!" Suijinmon barked. "It could have been other children…all these Digital Worlds have them!"

"I have heard enough." The Mikado spoke, and silence befell the Megadeth Trio. "You three shall investigate the matter. Find the boy and bring him before me. Only with him will my plans be able to flourish."

"Yes, sir." The Megadeth Trio said at once, and they all vanished in a column of 0's and 1's. A digital screen appeared in the air above the Mikado and the text on it read "DW-07."

"Soundbirdmon." He said. A small sapphire ball with metallic wings appeared in front of him. Markings that looked similar to scarlet-colored eyes were covering the front of the wings.

**SOUNDBIRDMON – NO LEVEL – NO TYPE – NO ATTRIBUTE**

"Go forth into DW-07." The Mikado said. "Investigate any traces of the Tamer Akiyama Ryo and report back."

"Hai!" Soundbirdmon chirped. Its body turned into a strip of data and shot into the screen.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Digimon D-Tamer:**

**A NETWORK OF SHADOWS**

**D-2:**

**The Call of the Sea!**


End file.
